Health Update and Stories from Pre-Marital Counseling

Hey all!

I had my procedure (a flexible sigmoidoscopy) this morning, and everything went smoothly. Thankfully, they didn't find anything troubling, and I felt no pain whatsoever under the anesthetic. It was way easier than I thought it would be! The prep was the worst part... No solid foods for almost 24 hours, and a few other unpleasant things... But I made it! My mom took me to Cracker Barrel afterwards, and I had a feast. :)

In wedding news, I have officially ordered Save the Dates!! They should be in before long (hopefully before I go out of town), so now it's a matter of finalizing the guest list. Other things I need to do sooner rather than later are: choosing a florist, (officially) booking the DJ, and meeting with the wedding coordinator at the church.

Collin and I are almost done with pre-marital counseling! We did two sessions at once the day before my graduation (see what I mean about marathon weekend?), so now we only have one session left. We may have to Skype Collin in for one if he doesn't make it back down here before the wedding, but he may be here in June to help me move, which is our last possible opportunity. Counseling has been interesting... The first thing we had to do was take a test separately in order to assess our compatibility. We agreed on a lot of things and scored well overall - we actually earned the highest compatibility rating of "vitalized" couple. Pat on the back for that one. ;) We scored really well on conflict resolution and communication, which is great, but apparently we didn't do too well on marriage expectations (due mainly to the fact that I was trying to read too much into the test... oops).

Lisa, our counselor, was most concerned about the fact that we had never lived by each other or even been around each other for an extended period of time, plus we haven't been together as long as some couples, all of which she says may be the reason for our "unrealistic" expectations. It's a fair point, but I argued that the limitations to our relationship (ie: distance) have forced us to get to know each other a lot faster since all we could do all the time is talk, so I think we are a lot further on at this stage in our relationship than we would have been had we lived by each other. I'm not worried about it, and neither is Collin. I think we are both very realistic people, and we both acknowledge that living together may be a bigger adjustment for us than for some couples, but I honestly think it's challenging for all newlyweds. And I do think we're as ready now as we ever will be. So, bring on the challenge!

One result from the test that was particularly funny was our differing stress level. Collin scored a 50, which is considered moderate, and I scored a 95... out of 100. Haha whoops. Needless to say, that was pretty high. It was interesting to me, because I wouldn't consider myself an easily stressed person, but I do (or at least I did) have a lot of stressors contributing to my overall anxiety - the wedding, the thesis, graduation, finding a job, finding a place to live in CT, getting ready to leave my home forever, etc. It adds up, but thankfully my biggest stressors (thesis and graduation) are OVER. I still have other things to prepare for, but I don't mind them as much. Thank goodness! Maybe I can bring my stress level down to a 75... I think that's the best I can hope for as a woman. ;)

That's all for now. Stay posted! I'll be in Chicago this weekend for my friend Kelsey's wedding (yay!), but then I'll have to hit the ground running when I come back!

Love,

C & A

DJ? Check! (well, almost)

Many thanks to Chelsea Smith (a bridesmaid's sister) for recommending an awesome DJ: Mad Dog! It's a DJ company run by a guy who is older, has been in the business for 35 years, and only advertises by word-of-mouth. He is also very affordable and really seems to know his stuff. Talked my head off on the phone, but a nice guy nonetheless. :) He went ahead and reserved our date for us! So now we just have to get the contract to officially book him. Yay!

We're in the midst of photographer hunting, which is turning out to be a more arduous task than expected... There must literally be THOUSANDS of professional photographers in Nashville, most of whom are wedding photographers. Collin and I have a pretty specific vision of what we are looking for: fairly modern with some traditional elements, cool lighting/color effects, customized photos, some off-site photos, and lots of editing. We will be meeting with several soon, and hopefully a decision will be made before long. If you have any suggestions, please comment!!!

I'm also looking for Save the Dates, so I definitely need recommendations there!

Thanks everyone for your continued support! Stay posted! :)

C & A

Polterabend?

Last night I randomly brainstormed a bunch of wedding ideas - favors, bridesmaid gifts, gifts for Collin, decorations, etc. - and I actually came up with a lot of ideas I really liked, but most of them have to stay secret for now. ;) I'm very excited about all of them, though! I really want our wedding to be memorable for everyone.

One idea I can share, though, is a tradition I found online for the eve of the wedding day. It's a German tradition, which is appropriate since both Collin and I are of German descent (especially Collin - his last name is Gebhard, for goodness' sake!). I definitely wanted to incorporate some traditions that would be unique yet fitting for us, so I looked up German wedding traditions and came across this one. It's called Polterabend, and it's where on the eve of our wedding, our close friends and family members come over (most likely to my parents' house) to celebrate and watch while Collin and I break a bunch of dishes... Which we then have to clean up. Haha. It's cool, though, because it signifies the last thing that will ever be broken in our household as well as us working together and resolving things. I think it's neat... We'll see if my parents think so...

For more updates...

- The work on the dress is just beginning! I talked to Caitlin today, and she is working on sketches. Yay! I can't wait to see how this all turns out. :) Haven't been to any more shops (snowed in!), but perhaps next weekend. I think I've got a pretty good idea now of what I want, though, so I may not have to do much more looking.

- We should have a decision on the photographer/videographer soon, hopefully! My mom and dad are narrowing down our options, and Collin and I will help make the final decision.

- Still researching DJs... One has come highly recommended by a bridesmaid's sister, and I'm trying to get more info on him. He is well within our budget, which is of course appealing.

- I've narrowed down my cake ideas to two, and I've narrowed down the bakers to two as well. Next step for this is tasting! :) I might try several bakers just to taste their cakes... Haha.

- I've been doing a lot of research on table decorations, and I have lots of great ideas... But I'm still open to suggestions, by all means, so if you're good with designing on a budget, please comment with ideas!!

- Invitations will probably be by David's Bridal since they are the most affordable and have some really nice options. But I really love the work of this girl: http://jesslehry.wordpress.com/. Definitely need suggestions for Save the Dates, though, and I would prefer to do magnets for those.

In other news, Collin's parents and a couple of his siblings will officially be coming down here in March! They will meet my parents for the first time. :) And maybe we'll get the rehearsal dinner squared away!

I think that's about it! I would appreciate any feedback or ideas you have, so feel free to comment. Thanks!

I'll keep you posted as we mark stuff off of our checklist! ;)

C & A